


Pain

by AaronxCaptain (Darenax)



Category: Code Lyoko
Genre: M/M, OddxUlrich
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-04-07 03:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4246980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darenax/pseuds/AaronxCaptain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Code Lyoko, UxO, First fanfic ever, don't like don't read. Yumi breaks Ulrichs heart, and he has no one to turn to, until one day...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All To Real

**Author's Note:**

> December 28th, 2015: Expect chapter 10 to be posted very soon.

**Pain**

Chapter 1: All too real

**Authors Note:** Christmas Update! Yay! Hiatus for this story is over!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Lyoko

 

Pain was all Ulrich felt. Sitting under the tree in the park, legs burning from running, face burning from the tears, heart burning from…He couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge what happened between them, what she had…what she had done…how she had betrayed him.

He had confronted Yumi after he saw them…After he had seen Yumi on top of Tom in the park, hands on necks and mouths in mouths. Yumi had tried to assure him that is was a one-time thing, but he had seen them with his own eyes, every Sunday for the past 5 weeks. It was over, and he couldn’t bear to believe it. He didn’t want to tell anyone yet, as that would make it all too real.

 

The next morning, Odd had woken up at the distinct smell of bacon. Running out the room, he noticed something strange: Ulrich was still in bed. Usually he was the first in their group to be awake, unless Jeremy had stayed up all night in the factory, of course. Odd just walked on by without giving it much notice. Walking through the hallway and down the stairs, through the courtyard to meet the rest of the gang for breakfast. “Where’s Ulrich and Yumi?” Jeremy asks as Odd approaches, “He’s Still sleeping, I’m slightly worried, he’s usually up fairly early. As for Yumi, I don’t know.” “Maybe your dog kept him up!” Aelita says. Odd frowns as the rest of them laugh. Halfway through breakfast Ulrich slowly walks in the cafeteria. “What kept you?” Odd asks, “I don’t want to talk about it.” Ulrich quickly rebuttals before starting his breakfast. “What’s up with you?” says Odd, Ulrich remains silent. “Come on, tell us already.” Aelita says. Ulrich cracks under pressure, “Yumi cheated on me ok! Just shut up!” He shouts before storming off. The group sits there, stunned and unable to react.


	2. Confusion

**Pain**

Chapter 2: Confusion

 

 **Authors Note:** Merry Christmas! More back story!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own code lyoko

 

                They were horror-stricken, Ulrich had never been one to break down like that, and they couldn’t believe what just happened, they couldn’t believe their ears. At this time, Odd was going through a crossroads in his life, and a few weeks ago he had fallen for Ulrich, and he fell hard. He couldn’t decide if he was sad that Ulrich was going through a tough time, or if he was happy that the love of life, was finally available. He was confused. He decided to think about it later and was about to eat when he noticed Ulrich’s tray of food, still on the table. He looked around: Jeremy was glued to his computer again, Aelita was busy throwing retaliations at Sissy, and Yumi was nowhere to be found. Odd has always been more observant when it came to Ulrich than anyone else in the group, Yumi included. He had quickly bonded with the black-haired boy and felt the need to bring the tray of food to him.

 

Ulrich heard a knock at the door, “Go away!” he yelled. The door opened and he hears Odd say “Relax, it’s only me.” “I said GO AWAY!” Ulrich screeches back. Odd sets down the tray and takes one last look at him before closing the door. Ulrich hears odd sets down something that piques his curiosity, but he waits for the door to close before turning around and seeing the tray of food. He realizes just how hungry he is, but before he can dig in, he is filled with remorse. Jeremy was too involved in the supercomputer to care, and Aelita had been caught up in her nightmares and Sissy’s complaints. Odd was the only person who truly understood who he felt, and he had just sent him running.

 

_Yumi and Tom were enjoying the weather, they were lying down in the forest, not far from the factory. Just looking up at my butts, Ulrich had been following her ever since he found out about her and Tom. He decided then and there that this was the last straw, he had a plan._

_Yumi came home to find Ulrich sitting in her foyer. “Ulrich, I didn’t expect to see you…” “I know about Tom” “Please Ulrich, it was a one-time thing!” “Yeah, a one-time thing that happened 5 times!” “You’ve been following me?” “You’ve been cheating on me!” “I’m Sor…” “Save it.” And with that, he left, making a point to slam the door._

_Running through the streets back to Kadic, Hot tears streamed down his face. That night he dreamt of many confusing yet pleasing things: Pushing Yumi into the digital sea, a life without Yumi, and then…he dreamt about Odd._

He remembered his dream about Odd, Odd made him happy, He had always been there for him, in trouble and triumph, and they made a great team, but what would others think? What would Odd think? And so, heart-broken and confused, Ulrich dragged himself onto his bed and curled into his blanket, and quickly fell asleep.


	3. Cliffhanger

**Pain**

Chapter 3: Cliffhanger

 

 **Authors Note:** Trying to get the length to be a bit longer. Revising it more than a year later doesn’t hurt.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Lyoko

 

                Odd waited several hours before knocking at the door again, but this time, all he heard was silence. He quietly opened the door and saw Ulrich sound asleep and snoring.   _Oh great._ Odd brought the empty tray back to the cafeteria before taking another hopeful look at Ulrich, and going to bed.

                Ulrich had yet another dream about Odd, but this one was different. In all the other ones everything was normal, but in his latest one, he and Odd were doing something new, they were kissing. They say that dreams are subconscious desires, that dreams are your minds way of telling you what you really want to do. That was the part that freaked Ulrich out the most, the dreams were quite enjoyable, but what the dreams meant, scared him. He flipped over, looking at Odd, and realized he had completely fallen for the scrawn—Svelte, man. It was painful to hang out with Odd as he had to pretend they were just good friends, and it was painful to avoid Odd, as he was longing for him.

                Odd had noticed that Ulrich was acting strange, but he thought it was just post-dump feelings trying to re-emerge. He took this as a queue to work extra hard, and over the next few weeks, went out of his way to make sure Ulrich felt better, and made sure to leave subtle hints that it was him.

                It was getting harder and harder for Ulrich to even think about Odd, he had found out that Odd had even struck some sort of deal with Mr. Delmas to get him out of detention for the rest of the month, he didn’t know what torture Odd was going through for him, but the thought that Odd was putting himself through…something…for him was making Ulrich fall even deeper in love with him. The dreams about him were increasing in frequency, and intensity, and before long, Ulrich had to accept it, he loved Odd. He was in love with odd. That felt weird saying it in his mind, but it also somehow felt…right.

                That night, Ulrich and Odd were talking in their dorm. “How long have you been going out of your way for me, Odd?” “What? Oh, Um… I don’t know, two weeks?” “Next question, what did you do to get me out of detention?” “Well, I sort of…struck up a deal.” “Odd, what kind, of deal exactly.” “Well, I kind of work behind the lunch counter until December…” The idea of Odd in a hairnet was funny, and made him laugh for the first time since…it…happened. The idea of Odd, on the other hand, of Odd doing all that he had done, for him. It was too much, and it pushed him over the edge.

                Ulrich’s heart was pounding in his chest, threatening to jump out. He couldn’t breathe. His mind was racing, he felt like he was going to pass out, and then things became a blur. Ulrich only knew one thing.

                He had kissed Odd.


	4. Discovery

**Pain**

Chapter 4: Discovery

 

**Authors Note:** Well, it’s break now, I’ll get this to chapter 10.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Lyoko

 

                Odd felt time stop around him. He had dreamed about this day far too many times to count, but it happening for real? Some days seem to fly by, but this moment seemed to swim through molasses mixed with cement.

 

                Ulrich didn’t know what he did. Yes he did, he took action. But how? He didn’t know what was going on, the earth stood still. An eternity seemed to pass by before Ulrich felt himself pull back. “uhhh…ummm…uhhh” he couldn’t speak. He sensed movement, and before he knew it, Odd has kissed him back. Ulrich could barely gasp out “Odd, what are we doing?” only to receive “I don’t know, but it feels so right!” Odd slowly reached one arm around Ulrich’s waist, pulling him closer, the other arm around his neck.

 

                The door swung open. “Hey Odd, can I borrow your…OH MY GOD!” Their eyes lock with Aelita’s. “I’m…just going to…um…” Aelita stutters and slowly closes the door.

 

                The next day, Odd and Ulrich join Jeremy, and Aelita for Breakfast. Ulrich hands Aelita a folded up slip of paper that reads ‘can you keep a secret?’ She blushes, looks up at them, and says yes. “What are you talking about?” Jeremy asks, “Oh, it’s nothing important” Odd replies. They finish their breakfast in silence.

 

                Later that night, in their dorm, Odd says to Ulrich “We need to talk about this.” “Agreed.” “I don’t know what to do, Ulrich.” “Me neither.” “I can’t stop these feelings I have for you.” Ulrich looked at Odd, and he could see that his love was reciprocated. Ulrich spoke next “So, like…um…boyfriends in secret?” Odd laughed a little. “Yeah, I guess.”


	5. Explanations

**Pain**

Chapter 5: Explanations

 

 **Authors Note:** Next chapter tomorrow, and so on and so forth

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Lyoko

 

                _“So, like…um…boyfriends in secret?” Odd laughed a little. “Yeah, I guess.”_

                They were about to turn off the lights and go to sleep when the door opened and in walked a determined Aelita. Scrambling out of bed, Ulrich closed the door as she sat down on his chair and spoke: “We’re talking about this.” Odd was the first to reply. “Oh, come on Aelita, can’t this wait! I need my sleep, and breakfast, and…” “We ARE talking about this now for everybody’s sake.”

                Over the next half an hour, the pair retold the events of the past few weeks to a shocked-yet-pleasantly-surprised Aelita, who was left with many questions. “Have you told anyone? Why not? Who are you going to tell? When? Does Yumi know? Are you sure about this? What if…” Ulrich interrupted her before she could go on “Relax. Like Odd said, we’ll discuss it after a good night’s sleep and some food.” Aelita huffed in resentful agreement and snuck back to her dorm, letting her mind wander on the way.

                **I wonder why they keep pushing me away. From what I can tell, everything that happened between Ulrich and Yumi could have been avoided if they talked more, and yet they don’t want to talk about anything at all until they get their sleep. Sleep is weird, it just brings nightmares. I would be fine staying up late. Poor Yumi, on one side I can’t even look at her without disgust at what she did to Ulrich, but on the other hand the whole group hasn’t said more than 10 words to her since it happened! Ugh, I’m so conflicted. Is this what being a student is like? Conflicting? I wish life was easier. I wish people talked to each other about what mattered. I wish…oh! I’m at my dorm. I sure hope nobody saw me, especially sissy. Oh the rumors she would spread if she caught me sneaking around late at night.**

                Aelita crawled into her bed and managed to fall asleep for a short while. The next morning, she learned that Odd and Ulrich had planned on ditching PE and talking in the woods. As the time drew near, Aelita waited to see what they had set up to distract Jim long enough for them to hide. Soon enough, some fireworks exploded in the courtyard, prompting Jim and most of the class to run towards the commotion, while Aelita followed Odd and Ulrich into the forest that surrounded the school, shaking her head in disbelief at the lengths he would go to for a distraction.

                It wasn’t until half an hour later when Jim realized the trio were missing. All the while the group had been talking and decided that Odd and Ulrich should come out to the rest of the gang in a month, after some time to see how well their relationship would work, and Aelita was going to try to talk to Yumi and try to figure out how she would react, and the best way to break the news as to soften the blow.


	6. Stealth

**Pain**

Chapter 6: Stealth

 

 **Authors Note:** Trying to write these is difficult, as the world is full of shiny distractions. Also this chapter is over three weeks, with each section being one day, and the three of them each being roughly a week apart. Also spoiler alert for the longest joke in history.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Lyoko

                “And the snake said, better Nate than lever!” the statement set off a chain reaction in the other boy. First a disappointed sigh and a disappointed chuckle. “That was…awful.” He said with a soft laugh. “Some say I should be…pun-nished” said the blonde, no longer able to contain his laughter. The brunette laughed harder, and eventually they were both on the floor laughing, which is how Jeremy found them when he walked in the room to grab a CD from Ulrich’s desk before leaving. “Thank god it was Jeremy.” Odd said after he was out of earshot. “Anyone else and people might get suspicious.” With a small chuckle, Ulrich replied “Yeah, thank god most things go over his head.” “Guess he needs to work on his reflexes in PE” Odd joked, sending a laugh through Ulrich. “Alright, class starts in 10 minutes, we should get going.” Ulrich said as he got up and started to gather his things.

 

                Odd and Ulrich were enjoying themselves, as moment’s like these were few and far between. Odd was laying on Ulrich, who was resting against a tree. It was unusually warm today, so they took solstice in the shady forest and the occasional cool breeze that swept through it. The afternoon went by in blissful silence, save the birdsong. There were no worries, no cares in the world to care about. Only this moment, only the quiet rise and fall lungs, the thoughtless in and out of breath. There was only each other and the forest. They had been enjoying the respite when the snap of a twig triggered their reflexes and they both sprung up, back to back, ready to take on whatever or whoever was out there if need be. Their poses relaxed when they saw Yumi step out from behind the bushes. “Jeremy want’s you guys at the factory, there’s trouble on lyoko. As they followed her to the sewers, Odd whispered to Ulrich “That was really close.” He only nodded in response.

 

                PE was over and they were the last ones in the locker room. He wandered on over to the svelte man and hugged him from behind. “You know, we tell them in three days.” Odd turned around to face the other boy “I can’t wait.” Odd smiled as he leaned in and gave Ulrich a kiss. They broke apart to someone speaking on the other side of the room. “I knew it! And now I have proof! Just wait until Yumi sees this! She is going to freak out!” “Sissy! What are you doing here! This is the men’s locker room!” Odd yelled at her. Ulrich glanced at odd and relayed a simple command: “Get her.” They ran at her, leaving the gym and running across the courtyard. Her screaming was starting to attract attention, and Ulrich knew he needed to do something soon, before it was too late. He jumped and landed on top of Sissy. Odd grabbed the camcorder out of her hands and quickly erased the footage. “It doesn’t matter! I saw it! People will believe me!” Odd was quick to retaliate “And people will believe us when they hear about your uncle.” “You wouldn’t!” she cried out. “Not normally, but you are quite the exception.” Sissy scowled at him before giving in. “Fine, I won’t tell if you won’t.” “Deal”.


	7. Danger

**Pain**

Chapter 7: Danger

 

 **Authors Note:** So apparently the next day means before I go to bed. Which, for last chapter was around 6:30 in the morning. Don’t do video games. This chapter is focused less on Odd and Ulrich, and more on the group returning to ‘normal’ life.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Lyoko

 

                Ulrich was sitting in history with Odd and Aelita when his phone gave a short buzz. Pulling it out he glanced at the text and sighed. _XANA –J._ “Miss, I don’t feel good, I’m going to go to the infirmary.” He said, running to the door. “Uh, me too.” Odd called out, “Aelita should come with and…make sure we’re okay!” He said running out the door, followed by Aelita, leaving behind a very confused teacher. They met up with Yumi in the park. They were on speaking terms, if only just barely. Pulling the metal cover out of place, they descended into the sewers beneath the school. Running as fast as they could to avoid the stench, they grabbed their skateboards and sped down the tunnels. Reaching the factory entrance, Odd pushed the button on the elevator’s control panel, and with a groan, the motor started to lower the box deeper into the factory. With a shake, the elevator came to a halt, and the doors opened with a hiss of steam.

 

                “There you guys are!” Jeremy said, seeing his friends step out of the elevator, “XANA has activated a tower in the forest sector. I don’t know what he’s up to yet, but I already don’t like it. Get to the scanner room, hurry!”

 

                Aelita and Yumi stepped in the scanners first, leaving Odd and Ulrich alone. “So…Tomorrow…” Ulrich said. “Yeah, tomorrows the day. You nervous?” Odd replied. “Yeah, a litt..” The doors opened, interrupting their conversation. Stepping inside, Ulrich said they were ready, and the doors shut. Moments later, he was falling onto Lyoko.

 

                Landing on the green of the forest, they waited for Jeremy’s instructions. “The tower is to the north.” They took off running, and running. “Left! Right! It should be straight ahead!” The group followed his commands and were eventually in sight of the tower. “That’s weird, there aren’t any monsters guarding it.” Ulrich said. “Maybe it’s a trap?” Odd responded. “There is only one way to find out!” Ulrich yelled, already running towards the tower. The others started to follow him, but as they got close, the tower deactivated. “That’s odd. Any idea what to make of it, Jeremy?” Aelita asked. But a minute passed and he didn’t reply. “Jeremy? Jeremy, are you there?” “Something’s wrong. Ulrich, stab me.” Yumi requested. “Gladly” “What is your…” Yumi stepped out of the scanner.

                Yumi stepped out of the elevator to see Jeremy on the group, his cloths burned and torn. A live cable sat, ripped out of the floor, to his right. She ran over to the computer and slipped the earpiece on. “Guys, I think the tower was a distraction. XANA attacked Jeremy in the factory, it doesn’t look like there are any active towers, so I’m going to try to devirtualize you. We need to get him to the infirmary.” “Try to? What do yo…” Odd stepped out of the scanner, followed by Ulrich and Aelita.

 

                Back on earth, they carried his body to the school, and into the nurse’s office. “How can i…Oh! What happened!” said the nurse. “I don’t know, I found him in his room! I think he was building a robot and it short circuited or something.” Aelita replied. “And what were you doing on the boy’s floor?” “Ah, um, well you see…” “Never mind, at least you found him. I’ll take a look. You’ll need to sit in the waiting room.”

 

                An hour passed before the nurse came out of the infirmary. “He’s going to be fine. He took quite a shock, but he should recover. He needs his rest, though. Can one of you take him to his room?” “I’ll go it” Aelita volunteered. “Good, meanwhile it’s lunch time, you need to eat. Now odd, that is not an excuse to take all of the mashed potatoes.” “But no one else wanted them!” Odd retorted. “It doesn’t matter, just go.” “Fine.”


	8. Acceptance

**Pain**

Chapter 8: Acceptance

**Authors Note:**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Lyoko

 

“You ready?”

“Yeah”

The pair joined Aelita, Jeremy, and Yumi at the table. “So guys, we have something we want to tell you…” Odd started, causing confusion across the group. Ulrich cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and started to talk. “Yeah, so, um, um, uhhhh, well, you see, me and odd are, um, dating”

A silent pall fell across the table, before Yumi burst out “WHAT!?! YOU’RE MAD AT ME WHEN YOU AND ODD ARE…UGH! YOU’RE SUCH AN IDIOT!” and then stormed off, turning the heads of everyone in the cafeteria.

Jeremy was the next to speak “I don’t really care, as long as it doesn’t through off your game on Lyoko, XANA is getting stronger every day.” “Well, I guess…” Aelita said, “I should go after Yumi, she seems fairly pissed. I’ll catch up with you guys in gym.” Then she stood up and ran in search of an angry Yumi.

Finding her in the park, she called out “Hey, Yumi! Wait! Let’s talk about this!” “No!” “Come on Yumi, you’re being irrational and you know it. This thing with Ulrich and Odd was a month after you guys broke up, and if you recall, you’re the one who…” “I get it! God! Why don’t you just shut up and leave me alone!” “Yumi, I can...” “GO!” Aelita reluctantly ran back to the school, and managed to show up at the field before Jim noticed her temporary absence.

“Didn’t go well?” Odd whispered, “Not really, she…isn’t in the mood to talk.” “Thanks for trying, I guess.” “Hey, don’t worry, she’ll come around eventually. No one can hold a grudge forever.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” “Wel…” “Aelita! Odd! Does this look like your personal conversation time! No! It isn’t! Would you be so kind as to inform the class about what is so interesting you need to talk about it during my class?” “Uh…it’s nothing sir.” Odd replied sheepishly, “Clearly not!” Jim yelled back. Odd was about to come up with something when Aelita spoke up, “We were talking about this new rock band that showed up We’re really sorry Jim, it won’t happen again.” “New rock band, eh? What are they called?” “Uhm…the lyoko five?” “The lyoko five? Never heard of them, I’ll have to ask my nephew if they’re any good. Anyways, I want you both to run 5 laps.” “But…” “Now!”

 

 


	9. Cataclysmic

**Pain**

Chapter 9: Cataclysmic

 **Authors Note:** I’m so sorry, the pressure of writing increasingly longer chapters in a small space of time drained my creativity, and left me with a writer’s block, during which I completely forgot about the story. I’ve learned my lesson, so the story is going to go to 11 chapters, and I’ve got a beta, and we planned the story out to have a really nice ending. It’s not going to all happen right now. No deadlines, and I’m not going to focus on how long they are, stretching them out at the expense of how good they are. Quality over quantity. Also, this story is on Archive of Our Own. Same name, same author.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Lyoko

                Leaning against a tree, Ulrich waited for Odd to show up. It was the last class of the day, and Jeremy still hadn’t woken up. _XANA must have done a real number on him_. His thoughts were interrupted by the foreboding buzz of his phone. He read the text and sighed. _Oh great, Jim caught Odd in the halls, and now he is in detention. Could this day get any worse?_ He immediately regretted asking that as Yumi ran into his sight, Jim chasing after her. She turned around, and, while screaming, kicked him into a puddle, tripping him, before running off towards the factory.

                Ulrich ran over to Jim, and found him to be unconscious. More worried about what Yumi might do to the super-calculator, he ran after her. “Yumi! Hold Up! What’s gotten into you!?” He shouted at the fuming girl, to no avail. As she ran into the elevator and commanded it downward, he slid under the closing door. He saw the familiar eye of XANA flash on her forehead, and he began to realize what had happened as she launched into an assault of attacks against him.

                Meanwhile, Odd had gotten out of detention, and, making his way to his (now canceled) meet-up with Ulrich, ran into a rather beat-up looking Jim. “Wow Jimbo, what happened to you?” He looked at the scrawny kid with distaste, “Your friend Yumi, that’s what” he said as he limped away. The words were an instant red flag for Odd, as he took off running towards the Factory, and if he was right, Yumi. On the way, he left a voice mail on Jeremy’s phone in case he woke up. “Hey Jeremy, it’s Odd. Anyways, I think XANA possessed Yumi, anyways she’s gone all berserk and beat up Jim pretty bad. If you get this in time, grab Aelita and get to the factory!” In all the panic about XANA’s attack on Jeremy, they had the active tower pushed to the back of their minds.

                Back at the factory, Ulrich rammed Yumi out of the way before she had a chance to smash into the computer. Being possessed by XANA, who knows what she could do to that thing. Yumi turned to face Ulrich, launching at him, only for Ulrich to dodge out of the way. “Come on Yumi! Snap out of it!”


	10. Release

**Pain**

Chapter 10: Release

**Authors Note:** This chapter, to make up for being a very long time coming, is more than twice as long as the next longest chapter! So much symbolism and emotion is in this chapter, I think you’ll enjoy it. The next chapter will be the last one, but I cannot tell you when it will be done, or how long it will be. But know I haven’t forgotten about this fic!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Code Lyoko

                “Come on Yumi! Snap out of it!”

Yumi stared at Ulrich. Ulrich stared at Yumi. For a brief moment he thought he saw a glimpse of recognition in her eyes, but then it was gone. Yumi swung her leg at him, and he barely managed to dive out of the way, leaving Yumi to wedge her leg in the super computer, and sending sparks flying. _I really hope that wasn’t important_ , Ulrich thought to himself before jumping out of the way of another attack. He was distracted by his phone ringing. Looking at the screen he thought to himself, _Really Jeremy? Now is not the best time!_ Before answering the call.

“Kinda busy Jeremy, can you make it quick?”

“No, well yes, well maybe… * _thud_ * what was that?”

“Don’t worry about it, what do you need?”

“Well, my computer is reporting that something’s gone wrong with its connection to the super scan system. It appears to be hardware related, did anything…”

                “Happen to the supercomputer? Yeah, XANA/Yumi took out a, uh, something with a well-timed *crash* kick.”

“I see, I’ll grab some parts for repairs, and be there soon.”

                The phone clicked as Jeremy hung up.

 

Yumi awoke with a start, a gasp for air, and many questions. _What happened? Where am I?_ _What’s going on?_ Deciding to answer at least one of them, she got up and looked around. _Huh? I’m home?_ Yumi’s focus shifted before locking on to a familiar, yet distant figure. _Is that Akihiko? Who is he talking to?_ She walked closer, trying to get a better look. The small girl in the distance laughed and turned just enough so that Yumi could see her face. _Is…Is that…Oh my god…_

“Now come on, Yumi, you’re almost seven years old, you can wait half an hour.”

                _What? But how? How can I be here, and there? And why am I six years old!?_ A black form swirled and formed beside her, speaking with an indescribable voice that resonated through her brain.

                “This is a memory of yours. A distant one, but a memory all the same. At the time, you thought nothing special of today. Just another day with your brother. You didn’t know what was about to come.”

                Yumi simply stared in befuddled silence, as a black sedan rolled up and came to a stop a few feet away from Akihiko. The door opened, and a tall man wearing a black suit and black sunglasses walked up to Akihiko. The strange man put his hand on Akihiko’s shoulder, and whispered something in his ear, too quiet for either Yumi to make out.

“What’s he saying?” Yumi asked the mysterious figure.

“It doesn’t work like that. This is a memory, you see, anything you didn’t know then is impossible for you to know now.”

                Yumi watched as her brother nodded at the man in the suit, and waved at young Yumi, saying “I’ll be back soon!” as he walked towards the car.

“You later figured out that he had been a part of a series of secret government tests, and having failed the tests, was on his way to be killed. Neither you nor he knew it at the time, but to this day you still blame yourself. You need to learn to let this go, that there was nothing you could have done to stop this.”

                “Who are you? Why are you showing this to me?”

“I am the subconscious manifestation of your past. You seem to be experiencing great mental turmoil, and I am here to help you let go of the anger and resentment you hold. Your brother Akihiko is gone, but that isn’t your fault. These feelings of abandonment and fault you develop here lead to a disconnect between you and society, that snowball to form bigger problems.”

                Yumi took a deep breath and let the figure’s words sink in. She took slow steps towards her young self, who looked at her with naïve curiosity.

                “Who are you?”

“I’m…someone you don’t know yet, and won’t know for a few years now.” She said, getting down on her knees to speak at eye level. “Whatever you think now, and whatever you may think in the future, I need you to know, this was not your fault. Can you promise me that?”

                “What’s not my fault?” She said, furrowing her brows in concern.

“Akihiko isn’t coming back.”

                “Yes he is, he said so. He’ll be back in half an hour.” She said with a resolute expression.

“I’m so, so sorry, but he’s gone.”

                Tears started to well in young Yumi’s eyes. “But…but why did he leave me?”

“He didn’t leave you, he’ll always be with you, right here.” Yumi said, putting her hand over young Yumi’s heart.

                Suddenly, young Yumi and the world around her melted into a swirling grey that faded into a new location. She was at a new house, in the country side. Standing in front of her was no longer a six year old Yumi, but what appeared to be a twenty-six year old Yumi in a very heated conversation on the phone. Beside her, a dark figure materialized. A voice rang out from it.

“This is your future, if things continue the way they are.”

“Is…Is she me?”

                “Yes.”

“She doesn’t seem to have noticed me yet.”

                “She will only be able to see you, when it is time for that. You have some time to learn about this world before you jump in.”

                Yumi looked around. She saw a two story house, painted light blue, with a white picket fence. On the front porch, sitting in a lounge chair and drinking a glass of something, was Tom. Finally she directed her gaze towards her older self, listening to the phone call.

                “I’m thinking of leaving Tom. Yes Aelita I know we have a child, but I just, I don’t know. I thought I did, but now I…I just feel differently. I don’t know what to do! Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”

                Yumi looked at the figure, which spoke to her.

                “Your fear of commitment is what caused you to cheat on Ulrich and drive him to Odd. It is that same fear of commitment that is driving future you away from Tom, and your child. It is your responsibility to fix your mistakes. It is time.”

                Yumi, knowing what she had to do, took a step towards older Yumi.

                “What? Who are you? Why do you look like me?”

“I am you, from the past, I’m…”

                “How are you here?”

“To be honest, I don’t really know. But I’m here to tell you something important. I know sometimes it feels that the world is out to get you, or that you are unwanted, but you need to remember, you are loved. Commitment won’t kill you, but distrust will.”

                “You don’t understand what…”

“You aren’t letting yourself form a connection with him, with anyone. You need to stop shutting out the world, if you truly want to live.”

                “I…I...”

                Suddenly the world melted again, before forming into a new scene. Looking around, Yumi noticed a grey swirling figure next to her. About twenty feet in front of her, she saw a familiar tree. It was the one that lived in her backyard. She had built a tree house, and had happy memories sleeping in it under the August sky. Shifting her gaze down, she noticed a chain around the tree. Walking around it she saw Ulrich trapped, struggling to escape.

                “Only you can set him free.” The figure said, before disappearing.

She had been solving other’s problems, but now it was time to solve her own. She started talking about how she felt to Ulrich, and once she started talking she found it hard to stop.

“Ulrich, I still love you. I know I messed up and I messed up really bad and I regret it so much. I never should have shut you, and everyone out. I know now, that no matter how hard I try, I can’t change your mind. You love Odd, and I can learn to accept that. My actions have consequences, and I need to deal with them. I need to stop distancing myself from people, and let myself fall in love. It’s too late for us, and that’s my fault, but from now on I can do better. Maybe, we could even be friends again. I’m so sorry and I hate us being mad at each other, but I think I’m ready to move on, if you’re ready to forgive me.”

Ulrich looked at Yumi in silence for a few moments, before opening his mouth to speak.

“Look in your hand.”

                Yumi looked down, and realized she had a key in her palm. She walked over and kneeled down next to Ulrich. Taking a deep break, she inserted the key in the lock, and freed Ulrich. Much to her surprise, however; He stayed there.

                “Why aren’t you leaving? You can go now.”

“Because friends don’t abandon each other.” He said, smiling at her.

                Suddenly, another figure appeared in front of them. This one was a brilliant white, with deep black veins running through it.

“XANA has control over your body, you know.” Ulrich said. “Now that you’ve cleared the obstacles in your subconscious, you can resist his control. You’re ready.”

                Yumi nodded at Ulrich, and stood up. Walking over to the figure, she placed her hand on it.

 

Ulrich was preparing to dodge another kick when Yumi fell to the ground, unconscious.

“Yumi!” Ulrich dove down to the floor where Yumi lay, checking to make sure she was okay.

The elevator doors hissed and screeched, before opening. In ran Jeremy and Aelita, both carrying bags full of various electrical parts, beeping and flashing in a morose and discordant manner.

“Ulrich! Is she okay?”

                “Yeah, she’s breathing. I’m gonna take her to the infirmary, you fix the computer.”

“Got it.”

                Ulrich put Yumi’s arm around his shoulder and carried her to the elevator. He pressed the button for ‘Top Floor’, and waited. When the doors opened, he navigated towards and through the passage leading to the school’s gymnasium. Upon walking in, Jim turned around in surprise.

“Ah! Stern, what are you doing in there with Yumi? Be careful, she’s dangerous! She knocked me out cold. Granted I was…”

                “She has a bit of a head cold, I’m going to take her to the infirmary.”

“Oh, okay then…” Jim said hesitantly.

                “Oh Ulrich! What happened to Yumi?” Nurse Yolanda said as they entered the infirmary.

“She passed out while we were practicing martial arts.” Ulrich said, quick to incorporate the truth into the cover.

                “Oh goodness, you really should be more careful. It doesn’t look like she sustained a head trauma, but you should use more caution. I’ll take care of her, so run along now, back to class.”

                Ulrich walked towards the door, and stopped with his hand on the knob. He turned to Yumi and whispered to himself.

                “Come on Yumi, please wake up.”


	11. Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Final Chapter!

Pain

Chapter 11: Resolution

Authors Note: I really do hope that you will think this last chapter is of similar if not exceeding quality to the last chapter. This story deserves a good ending, not fluff, so I will try my best to give it what it needs. Sorry also for taking six months to do this. I published the last chapter during Christmas break, and then second semester happened and time flew. Not an excuse, just a reason. I’ve learned, if I want to write more fanfiction, which I already have more ideas about, that I should have more than the first chapter written before I start posting.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko

                _Tap Tap Tap_

                Ulrich sat at his desk, tapping his pencil absentmindedly against his desk.

                _Tap Tap Tap_

Odd could tell he was too distracted, worrying about Yumi, to pay any attention to the Chemistry teacher at the front of the class

                _Tap Tap Tap_

                Ulrich glanced at the clock every 30 seconds, annoyed by how time never seemed to pass.

                _Tap Tap Tap_

                He looked at his notes. Blank. _Crap_ , he thought to himself. He’d have to copy them off of Jeremy later.

                _Tap Tap Tap_

                He looked at the teacher. She was saying something, but he couldn’t focus his ears enough to hear what it was.

                _Tap Tap Tap_

He looked at Odd. Odd looked at him. He could see the concern in Odd’s eyes piercing into him.

_Tap Tap T…_

The bell rang, and Ulrich was out of the door with Odd in tow before anyone else had time to react. It didn’t matter, Ulrich was determined. He cared about Yumi, she was his friend, and he loved her, even if he wasn’t in love with her. His distraction caused him to run straight into Jim’s back, who turned around, surprised.

“Hey! Just what do you think you’re…Oh, Ulrich! You look tired, is everything okay?”

But Ulrich didn’t hear him, he was already gone, bolting past him. Eventually he found himself in the infirmary, scaring Yolanda slightly as be burst in the room shouting “Is Yumi okay? Has she woken up yet?” Yolanda took a moment to recompose herself before responding. “All her vitals are normal, besides some increased mental activity. She should be fine, but if she doesn’t wake up by tomorrow morning she may have to go to the hospital.”  Ulrich gulped. He was consumed by nervousness, as sadness and guilt wrenched his face. Yolanda noticed this and, in an attempt to comfort him, told him “If you are done with your classes, you may stay here if you like.” Ulrich choked out a thank you and sat down on the bed across from Yumi.  He sat in silence for a few minutes when the door opened and Jeremy walked in.

“Hey Jeremy, what’s up?” Ulrich said solemnly.

“I thought you might like to know what’s going on with XANA on Lyoko.”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Odd and Aelita have been on Lyoko, deactivating towers. But every time they manage to deactivate one, a different tower activates. The towers are the gateway to the outside world, and I’ve been looking into it, and from what I can tell, XANA’s not reactivating the tower, the supercomputer is moving the energy elsewhere. It seems there is still one open connection that can’t be closed from inside Lyoko.”

“Yumi.” Ulrich said, after a beat of silence.

“Exactly. I have no idea what’s happening inside of her head, but whatever it is, we can’t stop it. My best guess is that Yumi’s conscience and XANA are battling for control, because every time XANA has had full control, we’ve been able to shut it down.”

“So what you’re saying is there isn’t anything we can do?”

“I’m saying we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Ulrich sighed. He didn’t like waiting. He didn’t like not being able to do anything to help. It made him feel so _useless_.

“I’m going to head back to the lab, and I’ll let you know if anything changes.” Jeremy said, getting up. Ulrich waved goodbye as Jeremy closed the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

 

He was tired. He had spent all day running around, tower after tower. _How’s that Jeremy? Are we good?_ He would ask. _Nope, new tower is in the desert sector,_ he’d get in reply. Finally, after four hours, the group decided that XANA wasn’t doing much in the way of attacking besides whatever was going on with Yumi, and that if their efforts were going to be in vain, they might as well get some rest. And thank god they decided that, because he was tired. Yet, he found his feet carrying him away from the dorms, away from his bed, towards the infirmary, towards the other man. He opened the door quietly, and looked at the other man, who looked back at him. “Hey Odd”

“Hey Ulrich, how are you doing?” he said as he closed the door behind him.

“I’m okay. I heard you’ve been running around Lyoko all day.”

“Yeah, even XANA’s given up sending monsters after us, so we decided sleep was probably a good idea. I’m still human, as it turns out.” Ulrich chuckled at this.

“You should get some sleep, you know” Ulrich said to him, concerned.

“I could say the same about you, you’ve got bags under your eyes the size of Scotland.” He retorted.

“Oh that’s not very big.” Ulrich replied.

“Come on, you need sleep, and you know it.”

“Yeah, but…I can’t just leave her, you know?”

“Well I’m not leaving you, so let’s either sleep here or in our dorm.”

Ulrich mulled over his options, before laying down on the bed. Odd laid down next to him and wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling his nose into Ulrich’s back.

“G’night.” Ulrich said sleepily.

“See ya in the morn…’” Odd said back, falling asleep mid-sentence.

 _He really can fall asleep anywhere_ Ulrich thought to himself, before he too succumbed to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Yumi stood next to the…thing…whatever it was. Black and viscous and bubbling, it was probably XANA’s physical form. She had been fighting it as best as she could, but she was beginning to wear down, and she knew she had to change tactics. _Maybe I should give a passion filled speech?_ She thought, _I bet it won’t expect that._ The image amused her, and she had nothing to lose, so she gave it a shot.

“Listen, XANA, I know you’re not exactly human, and I don’t think you used to be either, so you probably don’t know what it’s like to have feelings, or love people, or you know, human things. These people you keep trying to kill day in and day out are my friends, and they mean the world to me. I know I’ve made mistakes, I’ve done some really stupid things that I wish I hadn’t, but I’m only human, and those people, Ulrich, Odd, Jeremy, Aelita, they’re still my family, and I love them. I’m not going to let you hurt them, or take them away from me anymore, you hear me? It’s time for you to let me go, you scum!

Hoping her words would at least distract it, if not but for just a moment, she threw her fans at it with all her might, and to her surprise, they didn’t pass right through it. The shape absorbed them, and began to shake. Cracks started to form, and light began to shine through the cracks. After a few moments, the entire thing blew up, sending chunks of black slime everywhere. _Eww_ she thought, wiping it off of her face.

Hearing a noise, she turned around, she saw the figure that had accompanied her through her…journey? Whatever this was. The same figure that had gotten darker and darker as she got closer to fighting XANA was now whiter and brighter than she had ever seen. She knew that it was her way home as she reached out and placed her hand on its surface.

 

* * *

 

 

The first rays of the morning sun were starting to pour in through the window in the school infirmary when Yumi opened her eyes. She saw Odd and Ulrich spooning on the bed next to her and sighed. _I should probably get back to my dorm_ she thought, as she started to sit up. She was standing up, off of the bed when she heard it creak. She stopped and looked at Odd and Ulrich, hoping they didn’t wake up. She knew Odd could sleep through anything, but Ulrich was an incredibly light sleeper. Her fears turned out to be true when, a few moments later, Ulrich’s eyes fluttered open. Seeing Yumi standing up, he jumped to his feet, waking up Odd in the process, who started to complain until he saw Yumi.

“You’re up” Ulrich said, a little awkwardly.

“Yeah, I am” Yumi responded.

“Are you okay? You gave us all quite a scare”

“Yeah, it was…a bit of a trip…” Yumi said, trailing off. “Can we talk for a minute?”

“Yeah, sure.” Ulrich said, sitting back down.

“Look, I know there’s some tension between us, but if you can find it in your heart to, I’d like it if we could put everything behind us. I’ve made some mistakes, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t regret them, but I have consequences and I think I’m finally ready to deal with them. You and I aren’t going to be a thing, and nothing I can do can fix that. I broke your trust, I can see that now, and the only thing I can do is apologize. So, I’m sorry, I really am. I’m so, so, unbelievably sorry, and I hope you can accept my apology, and maybe sometime down the road, we can be friends again.”

Ulrich couldn’t find the words to respond so he simply stared at her, expressionless.

Suddenly, Ulrich’s phone rang. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket and pressed it against his ear.

“Jeremy, this isn’t really the time.”

“The tower deactivated itself a few minutes ago, XANA seems to be in hiding. Whatever happened with Yumi, XANA’s taking some time to regroup. We should be safe for now.”

“Awesome, thanks Jeremy.” Ulrich put his phone away and looked back at Yumi. “XANA’s resting. Whatever you did, it must have hurt.”

“It better, I put my damn heart into it.” Yumi said, laughing lightly. “Anyways, I’m going back to my dorm to get some more sleep before class starts. You should too.”

“More sleep? I’m in!” Odd interjected.

“Yeah, sounds like a plan.” Ulrich said, as Yumi started for the door.

 

* * *

 

 

Back in their dorm, Odd and Ulrich were back in bed, holding each other in their arms.

“This week has been crazy” Odd whispered, causing Ulrich to chuckle lightly.

“Yeah, but I don’t regret anything.” Ulrich whispered back.

“Me neither.”

There was a slight pause before Ulrich whispered “I love you” in Odd’s ear, before falling asleep.


End file.
